Apparatus and method for providing enhanced telephonic communications

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a device that determines a movement of a first communication device toward a local device until a presence of the first communication device is within a vicinity of the local device. In response to the presence of the first communication device being within the vicinity of the local device, a textual transcription of a voice call between the first communication device and a second communication device is presented on a display device communicatively coupled to the local device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/860,110 filed Jan. 2, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/229,344, filed Aug. 5, 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,877,175), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/513,645, filed Oct. 14, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,472,191), which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/280,745, filedOct. 25, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,886,169). The contents of each of theforegoing are hereby incorporated by reference into this application asif set forth herein in full.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and morespecifically to an apparatus and method for providing enhancedtelephonic communications.

BACKGROUND

Telephonic communications remain central to the growth of thetelecommunications industry. Many consumers demand features that enhancetraditional voice-based telephony. Useful enhancements allow consumersto enjoy telecommunication features regardless of physical impairments.Consumers increasingly desire the ability to relive and to sharetelecommunication experiences. Modern telecommunication networks benefitfrom interconnectivity between consumers and various communicationdevices. As network capabilities expand, these interconnections providenew opportunities to enhance telephonic communications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method that can be usedin portions of the communication systems described in FIGS. 1-5; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods discussedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for providing enhanced telephonic communications. In oneembodiment, a text transcription of telephonic audio voice data is madeavailable from a media processor device. Other embodiments arecontemplated by the present disclosure.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a media processordevice having a memory coupled to a processor. The processor can beoperable to detect a call initiated by one of a first communicationdevice or second communication device. The processor can also beoperable to detect a presence of the first communication device in avicinity of the media processor device. The processor can further beoperable to present a prompt offering a transcription of audio voicedata originating from the second communication device to a texttranscription. The processor can be operable to receive the audio voicedata originating from the second communication device responsive to acommunication session established between the first and secondcommunication devices. In turn, the processor can be operable totranscribe the audio voice data to the text transcription responsive toreceiving an acceptance associated with the prompt. The processor canalso be operable to present the text transcription on a displaycommunicatively coupled to the media processor device.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer-readablestorage medium including computer instructions, which, when executed bya processor, can cause the processor to receive media content over acommunication network and to present the media content on a display. Thecomputer instructions can also cause the processor to receive audiovoice data originating from a telephony communication session includinga first communication device and a second communication device. Thecomputer instructions can further cause the processor to receive audiovoice data originating from a telephony communication sessionestablished between a first communication device and a secondcommunication device and to detect a presence of the first communicationdevice in the vicinity of the display. In turn, the audio voice data canbe caused to be transcribed to a text transcription responsive todetecting the presence of the first communication device. The computerinstructions can cause the processor to present the text transcriptionon the display.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method includingreceiving over a communication network audio voice data originating froma telephony communication session established between a firstcommunication device and a second communication device and transcribingthe audio voice data to a text transcription. The method can alsoinclude detecting a presence of a first communication device in thevicinity of a media processor device and presenting the texttranscription on a display communicatively coupled to a media processordevice in response to the detected presence of a first communicationdevice.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system. TheIPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 110 with atleast one super headend office server (SHS) 111 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 111 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present ornext generation local or personal area wireless network technologies. Byway of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 129 can be used also in themedia system of FIG. 1. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 100. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115 carrying mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to thebuilding 102. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver131 can be transferred to the media processors 106 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped with a broadbandport to the ISP network 132 to enable interactive services such as VoDand EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 133 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system100. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 133 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It is contemplated that the present disclosure can apply to any presentor next generation over-the-air and/or landline media content servicessystem.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or mobilecommunication devices 116.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 117 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless networktechnologies are contemplated by the present disclosure.

Communication system 100 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 130 to function as a media server device 130. Themedia server device 130 can use common computing and communicationtechnology to perform function 162, which includes among things,providing for enhanced telephonic communication by detecting a callinitiated by communication devices, such as telephones or mobile phones,and by detecting a presence of a communication device in a vicinity ofthe media processor device 106. The media processor devices 106 canpresent a prompt at a media device 108, a media controller 107, mobilecommunication device 116, or other communication device, where theprompt includes an offering of a transcription of audio voice dataoriginating from one or more of the communication devices participatingin the call. The media processor devices 106 can receive the audio voicedata originating from one or more of the communication devices and cantranscribe this audio voice data to a text transcription responsive toreceiving an acceptance associated with the prompt. The media processordevices 106 can cause the text transcription to be presented on adisplay communicatively coupled to the media processor device 206, oranother display.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200employing Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networkarchitecture to facilitate the combined services of circuit-switched andpacket-switched systems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid oroperably coupled with communication system 100 as another representativeembodiment of communication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS-compliant communication devices(CDs) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260. The MGCF 220 need not be usedwhen a communication session involves IMS CD to IMS CD communications. Acommunication session involving at least one PSTN CD may utilize theMGCF 220.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with aninterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn, communicates with a ServingCSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS 240. To initiate acommunication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD 201 can submita Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to an originatingP-CSCF 204 which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit the SIP INVITE message to oneor more application servers (ASs) 217 that can provide a variety ofservices to IMS subscribers.

For example, the application servers 217 can be used to performoriginating call feature treatment functions on the calling party numberreceived by the originating S-CSCF 206 in the SIP INVITE message.Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, call IDblocking, calling name blocking, 7-digit dialing, and/or is requestingspecial telephony features (e.g., *72 forward calls, *73 cancel callforwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on). Based on initialfilter criteria (iFCs) in a subscriber profile associated with a CD, oneor more application servers may be invoked to provide various calloriginating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submit a query to the HSS 240 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 202. Once identified, the I-CSCF 207 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 214. The terminating S-CSCF214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216 associated with theterminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 may then signal the CD 202 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 2 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 200 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 201, 202with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 100 ofFIG. 1. It is further contemplated that the CDs of FIG. 2 can operate aswireline or wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 2 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 117 such as shown inFIG. 1, a femtocell (not shown), a WiFi router, a DECT base unit, oranother suitable wireless access unit to establish communications withthe IMS network 250 of FIG. 2.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD203 or CD 205 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM system 230 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 260 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 2 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. Although not shown, the CDs of FIG. 2 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 221, a femtocell, aWiFi router, a DECT base unit, or another suitable wireless access unitto establish communications with the IMS network 250 of FIG. 2. Thecellular access base station 121 can operate according to commonwireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile (GSM), CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS), World interoperability forMicrowave (WiMAX), Software Defined Radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution(LTE), and so on. Other present and next generation wireless networktechnologies are contemplated by the present disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies arecontemplated for the CDs of FIG. 2.

It is further contemplated that cellular phones supporting LTE cansupport packet-switched voice and packet-switched data communicationsand thus may operate as IMS-compliant mobile devices. In thisembodiment, the cellular base station 221 may communicate directly withthe IMS network 250 as shown by the arrow connecting the cellular basestation 221 and the P-CSCF 216.

Communication system 200 can include or otherwise be coupled to themedia server device 130 of FIG. 1 for purposes similar to thosedescribed above. The communication system 200 can include or otherwisebe coupled to the media processor device 106 of FIG. 1 for purposessimilar to those described above. It is further contemplated by thepresent disclosure that the media server device 130 and/or the mediaprocessor device 106 can perform the function 162 and thereby provideenhanced telephonic communications for subscribers associated with CDs201, 202, 203, and 205. CDs 201, 202, 203, and 205 can be adapted withsoftware to perform function 170 to utilize and integrate with theenhanced telephonic communications application performed by the mediaprocessor device 106. It is further contemplated that the media serverdevice 130 can be an integral part of the application server(s) 217,where the application server(s) 217 performs function 172, which can besubstantially similar to function 162 and adapted to the operation ofthe IMS network 250.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 302 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices130 of the communication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The webportal 302 can be used for managing services of communication systems100-200. A web page of the web portal 302 can be accessed by a UniformResource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser such as Microsoft'sInternet Explorer™, Mozilla's Firefox™, Apple's Safari™, or Google'sChrome™ using an Internet-capable communication device such as thosedescribed in FIGS. 1-2. The web portal 302 can be configured, forexample, to access a media processor 106 and services managed therebysuch as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog,an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such aspersonal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the mediaprocessor 106. The web portal 302 can also be used for provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

It is contemplated by the present disclosure that the web portal 302 canfurther be utilized to manage and provision software applications162-172 of the devices of FIGS. 1-2, respectively, as described earlier.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, and a controller 406 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wirelesscommunication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 402 can alsobe adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies(such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline access technologies (such asTCPIP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include a display410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. In anembodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display 410 withnavigation features.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of thecommunication device 400 based on signals generated by a constellationof GPS satellites, thereby facilitating common location services such asnavigation.

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by common sensing techniques such as utilizing a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA)or time of flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the mobilecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the mobilecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 500for enhancing telephonic communications. System 500 can be overlaid oroperably coupled to communication systems 100-200 as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication systems 100-200. System 500can include a media server device 130 in communication with a packetswitched network such as IMS network 250 and/or a circuit switchednetwork such as a PSTN network 260 (see communication system 200 of FIG.2). The media server device 130 can be in communication with mediaprocessor devices 506A-C (such as set-top boxes) through gateway devices504A-B connected to the IMS network 250. The media server device 130 canprovide media content to the media processor devices 506A-C.Communication devices 502A-D (such as wired and wireless telephones andmobile phones) can be coupled to the IMS network 250 though gateways504A-B, including gateways that are shared with the media processordevices 506A-D. The communication devices 502A-D can use the packetswitched network to transact communications, including telephonicsessions between the communication devices 502A-D. The communicationdevices 502A-D can also be coupled to the PSTN network 260.Communication devices 502A-D can conduct telephonic sessions thatrequire use of both the IMS network 250 and the PSTN network 260.Communication devices 502A-D can include mobile or cellular phones thatcan be connected to the IMS network 250 or the PSTN network 260 usingmobility networks 221, base stations, or femtocells. Communicationdevice 502A-D can be connected to networks and gateways 504B by wiredconnections or wired connections.

The present disclosure contemplates media processor devices 506A-C that,among other things, can be used to detect a call initiated by one of thecommunication devices 502A-D. The media processor device 506A-C can alsobe used to detect a presence of a communication device 502B in avicinity of a media processor device 506C. The media processor device506A-C can be used to present a prompt offering a transcription of audiovoice data originating from one or more of the communication devices502A-D that is engaged in a call to thereby generate a texttranscription. The media processor device 506A-C can be used to receivethe audio voice data originating from one or more of the communicationdevices 502A-D responsive to a communication session established betweenthe communication devices. In turn, the media processor device 506A-Ccan be used to transcribe the audio voice data to the text transcriptionresponsive to receiving an acceptance associated with the prompt. Themedia processor device 506A-C can also be used to present the texttranscription on a display communicatively coupled to the mediaprocessor device 506A-C. The media processor device 506A-C can therebyenhance telephonic communication according to the illustrativeembodiments of method 600 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative method 600 that operates in portions ofthe devices of FIGS. 1-5. Method 600 can begin with step 604 in which acall can be detected between communication devices 502A-D. The call canbe between a first communication device 502A and a second communicationdevice 502B. The call can include additional communication devices502C-D (such as in a conference call). The call can includecommunication devices 502A-B that are each connected directly to the IMSnetwork 250 by way of gateways 504A-B or routers. In another embodiment,the call can include communication devices 502A-D communicativelycoupled to each other by way of the PSTN network 260 and the IMS network250 as described in FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, a communication device 502A can be connected to theIMS network 250 through a gateway 504A by a plain old telephone service(POTS) line supplied by a common RJ11 phone jack. In this case thecommunication device 502A can be a POTS-capable phone. At the gateway504A, the communications signaling can be converted to packet switchedso that the signaling is compatible with the IMS network 250. In oneembodiment, the communication device 502A can be connected to thegateway 504A by a packet switched data line, or voice over internetprotocol (VoIP) line. In this case, the communication device 506A can bea VoIP-capable phone and the router 504A can simply pass the packetswitched signal to the IMS network 250. If the gateway 504A is providinga POTS signal to the communication device 502A, then this POTS signalcan be made available to the media processor device 506A via anotherRJ11 phone jack. If the gateway 504A is providing a packet switchedsignal to the communication device 502A, then a packet switched signalsuch as a VoIP signal can also be provided to the media processor device506A by a wired or wireless connection supplied by the gateway 504. APOTS-based call can be detected by a media processor device 506 viamonitoring the POTS line for ring tones. A VoIP call can be detected bythe media processor device 506A-C by monitoring for an internet messagedirected to the communication device 502A.

In one embodiment, one or more of the communication devices 502A-D is amobile communication device (such as a cellular phone). If a mobilecommunication device is used, then the device can be in directcommunication with a base station 221 of a mobility network such asshown in FIG. 2. The base station 221 can, in turn, communicate directlywith the PSTN network 260, as shown, or can communicate directly withthe IMS network 250. In one embodiment, a mobile communication device(such as communication device 502D) can be in communication with the IMSnetwork 250 by way of a femtocell, not shown. The femtocell can becoupled to or integrated into the media processor device 506A. In thisconfiguration, the media processor device 506A can monitorcommunications of the mobile communication device 502D as thesecommunications are routed through the gateway 504A to the packetswitched network. In this way, the media processor device 506A candetect calls and receive audio voice data associated with the mobilecommunication device 502D.

In one embodiment, the mobile communication device 502D can maintaincommunication through the base station 221 of the mobility network butcan send copies of its communications to the media processor device 506Aby way of a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, oranother wireless access interface. The media processor device 506A canrequest copies of communications from the mobile communication device502D or the base station 221, which can be delivered to the mediaprocessor device 506A via a cellular link (e.g., integrated femto,Internet connection, or other suitable means of communication).

If a call is determined to be initiated between two or more of thecommunication devices 506A-C, in step 604, then a check is performed toidentify if one of the communication devices 502A-D engaged in theinitiated call is present in the vicinity of a media processor device506A-C. In one embodiment, a media processor device 506A-C can determinewhether one of the engaged communication device 502A-D is present in thevicinity of the media processor device 506A-Cby detecting a passive oractive radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag that can beincluded with the communication device 502A-D. The RFID tag can bedetected by means of a transmitter and an antenna in the media processordevice 506A-C. If the RFID tag is detected, then media processor device506A-C can read identifying information for the communication device502A-D. The media processor device 506A-C can also detect a presence ofa communication device by way of measuring an RSSI of the RF signal itreceives from the communication device 502A-D. An antenna and a receivercan be included in the media processor device 506A-C and can detect asignal strength emanating from one of the communication devices 502(A).

If the media processor device 506A-D identifies that one of thecommunication devices 502A-D is in the vicinity of the media processordevice 506, in step 608, then a prompt is presented offering atranscription of the call in step 612. In one embodiment, the mediaprocessor device 506A-C in the vicinity of the communication device502A-D can present the prompt on a display 508A-C that iscommunicatively coupled to the media processor device 506A-C. Forexample, media processor device 506B can detect communication device502B is in the vicinity of media processor 506B after a detection of acall involving communication device 502B. As a result, media processordevice 506B causes a prompt 550 to be presented on the display 508B thatis coupled to the media processor device 506B. The prompt 550 caninclude a graphical user interface window 554 for displayingtranscription text 562 associated with the telephonic communicationsession. A series of control buttons 558 can be included to allow forfurther operations. To avoid interrupt a presentation of media contentat display 508B, a DVR function can be invoked that pauses and recordsthe media content at the time the prompt is presented.

In one embodiment, the media processor device 506A-C can present theprompt on one of the communication devices 502A-D associated with thecall. For example, media processor device 506B can present the prompt onthe communication device 502B that has been detected as being in thevicinity of the media processor device 506B. In one embodiment, mediaprocessor device 506A-C can present the prompt on a communication device502A-D that is not part of the call. For example, the media processordevice 506A can detect communication device 502A as being a part of thecall and further detect mobile device 502D as being in the vicinity ofthe media processor device 506A. The media processor device 506A canpresent the prompt on the mobile communication device 502D by way of awireless connection (such as WiFi or Bluetooth). Mobile communicationdevice 502D can be a mobile tablet with, for example, a touch-screendisplay. In one embodiment, the media processor device 506A-C canpresent the prompt on a display of a remote control device, not shown,that is associated with the media processor device 506A-C. Presentingthe prompt on a display of a communication device other than displays508A-C avoids an interruption of media content being presented ondisplays 508A-C.

The offer of transcribing can be accepted, in step 616. The acceptancecan be a response entered at the prompt. The acceptance can be a textmessage or email message from a communication device 502A-D to the mediaprocessor device 506A-C. The acceptance can be a button push at thecommunication device. In one embodiment, the acceptance can be assumedor can be a default action of the media processor device 506A-C. Themedia processor device 506A-C can have a default state associated withtranscription so that all phone messages are automatically transcribed.The media processor device 506A-C be further operative to only stoptranscribing upon the termination of a phone call or a command to stopissued by a remote control device, one of the communication devices502A-C, or a mobile device 502D unrelated to the call.

If the media processor device 506A-D identifies that the transcriptionoffer has been accepted by one of the communication devices 502A-D, instep 616, then in optional step 620, a request is transmitted to obtainpermission from another communication device 502A-D engaged in the callto transcribe audio voice data from the call. For example, a call can beinitiated and detected between communication device 502A andcommunication device 502B. Media processor device 506B can detect thepresence of communication device 502B in the vicinity of the mediaprocessor device 506B. Media processor device 506B can prompt thecommunication device 502B with an offer to transcribe the phone call. Ifthe offer is accepted, the media processor device 506B can transmit arequest for permission to transcribe the call to the other communicationdevice 502A engaged in the call. The requested permission to transcribethe audio voice data can be necessary to prevent inadvertent recordingof audio voice data, or transcripts derived therefrom, includingmaterial belonging to the calling party. If the media processor device506A-C determines that the permission for transcription was not grantedin optional step 624, then, in step 626, all transcriptions are disabledfor audio voice data coming from other communication device 502A.

In step 628, audio voice data is received from one or more of thecommunication devices 502A-D engaged in the call. In one embodiment, themedia processor device 506A-C can receive the audio voice data from oneor more of the communication devices 502A-D. The media processor device506A-C can receive the audio voice data as packet switched data throughthe gateway 504A-B. The media processor device 506A-C can receive theaudio voice data as POTS data. In one embodiment, the media processordevice 506A-C can receive audio voice data from a mobile communicationdevice 502D. For example, the audio voice data can be transmitted fromthe mobile communication device 502D to the mobile communication device502D by way of a wireless connection (such as WiFi, Bluetooth, oranother wireless connection). In one embodiment, the audio voice data istransmitted from the PSTN network 260 though the IMS network 250.

In step 632, the audio voice data is transcribed to generate a texttranscription of the call. In one embodiment, audio voice data that hasbeen received by the media processor device 506A-C is transcribed totext by the media processor device 506A-C utilizing speech to texttranscription technology. The media processor device 506A-C cantranscribe the audio voice data as it is received or can transcribe itin blocks of text. The media processor device 506A-C can be used totranscribe portions of the audio voice data. For example, the mediaprocessor device 506A-C can transcribe only audio voice data that isassociated with a communication device 502A-D that is not in thevicinity of the media processor device 506A-C.

In step 636, the text transcription is presented from the mediaprocessor device 506A-C. In one embodiment, the media processor device506A-C in the vicinity of the communication device 502A-D can presentthe text transcription on a display 508A-C that is communicativelycoupled to the media processor device 506A-C. The text transcription 550can include a graphical user interface window 554 for displayingtranscription text 562 associated with the telephonic communicationsession. A series of control buttons 558 can be included to allow forfurther operations. In one embodiment, the graphical user interface canallow for selection of portions of the text transcription. Theseportions can be copied and pasted to another window. The graphical userinterface can allow for saving of portions of the text transcription tomemory in the media processor device 506A-C.

In one embodiment, the media processor device 506A-C can present thetext transcription on one of the communication devices 502A-D associatedwith the call. For example, media processor device 506B can present thetext transcription on the communication device 502B that has beendetected as being in the vicinity of the media processor 506B therebyavoiding an interruption of a presentation at display 508B. In oneembodiment, media processor device 506A-C can present the texttranscription on a communication device 502A-D that is not part of thecall. For example, the media processor device 506A can detectcommunication device 502A as being a part of the call and further detectmobile device 502D as being in the vicinity of the media processordevice 506A. The media processor device 506A can present the texttranscription on the mobile communication device 502D by way of awireless connection (such as WiFi or Bluetooth). The media processordevice 506A-C can present the text transcription on a display of aremote control device, not shown, that is associated with the mediaprocessor device 506A-C.

In step 640, a communication device 640 that has previously beendetermined to be in the vicinity of the media processor device 506A-Dcan be further monitored to determine if that same communication device506A-D has subsequently been moved to within the vicinity of a secondmedia processor device 506A-D. For example, communication device 502Bcan be located in a base unit 504 in the vicinity of a first mediaprocessor device 506B when a call initially begins. Subsequently, thecommunication device 502B can be moved away from the first mediaprocessor device 506B and toward a second media processor device 506C.If the communication device 502B is close enough to the second mediaprocessor device 506C, then the text transcription can be moved from thefirst communication device to the second communication device. Inembodiment, the second media processor device 506C can determine whetherthe communication device 502B is present in the vicinity of the secondmedia processor device 506C. The second media processor device 506C canattempt to detect an RFID tag that can be included with thecommunication device 502B. The RFID tag can be detected by means of atransmitter and an antenna in the second media processor device 506C. Ifthe RFID is detected, then the second media processor device 506C canread identifying information for the communication device 502B. Thesecond media processor device 506A-C can also detect a presence of acommunication device by way of determining a received signal strengthindication. An antenna and a receiver can be included in the secondmedia processor device 506C and can detect a signal strength emanatingfrom the communication device 502B.

If the second media processor device 506C detects the communicationdevice 502B as being in the vicinity of the second media processordevice 502C, in step 640, then it can transmit a signal to the firstmedia processor device 506C to transition the text transcription to thesecond media processor device 506C, in step 644. In step 648, the firstmedia processor device 506C discontinues presenting the texttranscription once the text transcription has been transmitted to thesecond media processor device 506C.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, in one embodiment,the presentation of the text transcription can be moved from a display508A-C, to a mobile communication device 502D. In one embodiment, thepresentation of the text transcription can be moved from a display508A-C to a communication device that is connected to a PSTN network260.

In one embodiment, the audio voice data that is received at the mediaprocessor device 506A-C can be reproduced by the media processor device506A-C at an audio system of display 508A-C or by the mobile device502D. In one embodiment, speech to text transcription can be enhanced byrecording prior speech to text transcriptions of users. The historicalrecordings can be associated per user, and can be used to train speechto text transcription technology to enhance speech to texttranscriptions during a communication session. For example, when a callis detected a media processor device can detect a caller ID and retrievea profile of the caller that has been constructed by the speech to texttranscription technology over the course of one or more recordings. Suchan approach can also be applied to the called party.

As noted earlier the DVR function can be invoked to pause and recordmedia content to avoid interrupting a presentation of media content.Method 500 can be adapted to automatically enable presentation of themedia content from the pause state once the transcription is terminated(e.g., by a signal generated by a remote controller) and/or thecommunication session between first and second communication devices isterminated. Method 500 can also be adapted to operate in whole or inpart at the media server device 130 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. Otheradaptations of method 500 are contemplated by the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the media server device 130, the mediaprocessor 506A-C, the gateway 504A-B, the mobile communication device516A-H, or combinations thereof as described above. In some embodiments,the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the present disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor 702 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each othervia a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a videodisplay unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal displays (LCD), a flat panel,or a solid state display. The computer system 700 may include an inputdevice 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 720.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 722 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe present disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA) are contemplated foruse by computer system 800.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the abovedescription.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: determining a movement of a firstcommunication device toward a local device until a presence of the firstcommunication device is within a vicinity of the local device; and inresponse to the presence of the first communication device being withinthe vicinity of the local device, presenting a textual transcription ofa voice call between the first communication device and a secondcommunication device, wherein the textual transcription is presented ona display device communicatively coupled to the local device.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the local device comprises a media processor.3. The device of claim 2, wherein the media processor processes mediacontent received over a communication network for presentation at thedisplay device, and wherein the operations further comprise: receiving arequest for the textual transcription; and transmitting the textualtranscription over the communication network responsive to the request.4. The device of claim 1, wherein the movement of the firstcommunication device occurs during the voice call.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: in response to thedetermining, discontinuing presentation of the textual transcription onanother display device.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: receiving a request for the textual transcription fromthe local device, wherein at least one of a providing of the textualtranscription to the local device and the discontinuing of thepresentation of the textual transcription on the another display deviceare performed in response to an acceptance of an offer to transcribe anaudio portion of the voice call.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: transcribing an audio portion of the voicecall to obtain the textual transcription, wherein the transcribing ofthe audio portion of the voice call is responsive to receiving anacceptance of an offer to transcribe the audio portion of the voicecall.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed bydetecting a radio frequency identification device at the firstcommunication device, or by measuring a received signal strengthindication from the first communication device.
 9. The device of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise: presenting a prompt offeringthe textual transcription to one of the first communication device, thedisplay device or a remote control device.
 10. A method comprising:determining, by a processing system including a processor, a movement ofa first communication device toward a local device until a presence ofthe first communication device within a vicinity of the local device;and in response to the presence of the first communication device beingwithin the vicinity of the local device, initiating, by the processingsystem, presentation of a textual transcription of a voice call betweenthe first communication device and a second communication device at adisplay device communicatively coupled to the local device.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the movement of the first communicationdevice occurs during the voice call.
 12. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: in response to the determining, discontinuing, by theprocessing system, presentation of the textual transcription on anotherdisplay device.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:transcribing, by the processing system, an audio portion of the voicecall to obtain the textual transcription, wherein the transcribing ofthe audio portion of the voice call is responsive to receiving anacceptance of an offer to transcribe the audio portion of the voicecall.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining is performedby detecting, by the processing system, a radio frequency identificationdevice at the first communication device, or by measuring a receivedsignal strength indication from the first communication device.
 15. Anon-transitory, machine-readable medium comprising executableinstructions that, when executed by a processing system including aprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, the operationscomprising: determining a movement of a first communication devicetoward a local device until a presence of the first communication devicewithin a vicinity of the local device; and in response to the presenceof the first communication device being within the vicinity of the localdevice, initiating presentation of a textual transcription of a voicecall between the first communication device and a second communicationdevice, wherein the textual transcription is presented at a displaydevice communicatively coupled to the local device.
 16. Thenon-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the localdevice comprises a media processor.
 17. The non-transitory,machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the media processorprocesses media content received over a communication network forpresentation at the display device, and wherein the operations furthercomprise: receiving a request for the textual transcription; andtransmitting the textual transcription over the communication network.18. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theoperations further comprise: in response to the determining,discontinuing presentation of the textual transcription on anotherdisplay device.
 19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim18, wherein the operations further comprise presenting a prompt offeringthe textual transcription to one of the first communication device, thedisplay device, the another display device, or a remote control device.20. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein themovement of the first communication device occurs during the voice call.